Monday, 14 July 2014

Impeachment: Panel drops 5 charges against Nyako

•Trouble not yet over for gov – Lawyer

The seven-member panel that probed Adamawa State Governor Murtala
Nyako ended its sitting on his possible impeach­ment at the weekend,
with an indication that the 20-count charge of alleged misappropri­ation
of funds may have been reduced to 15.
Nyako’s deputy, James Ngilari, was charged with six offences. The
committee was said to have dropped the allegation involving All
Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Yola,
due to lack of evidence to prove it.
The third accusation involving expenditure of monies for
entertainment of guests which the House of Assembly claimed that N120
million was divert­ed “to sponsor fictitious visit of Buhari to Adamawa
State to commiserate with victims of insurgency in Madagali and Michika
Local Government Areas”, was also abandoned.
The lawmakers’ lawyer, Leonard Nzadon, an­nounced the dropping of the charges while closing his case before the panel.
Also, another allegation which the lawmakers claimed that Nyako
fraudulently awarded a contract of over N8 billion through a company
linked to one of his wives, to siphon public funds without deliver­ing
any services to the people of Adamawa State, was also dropped.
Nzadon, however, told the panel that the governor would be guilty of
breaching Section 188 of the Constitution even if only one of the
remaining al­legations which were supported by oral, written and video
evidences were proven.
“We submit with greatest respect that there is abundant proof before
this panel that there is grave violation of the Constitution, breach of
Constitution and misconduct within the meaning of Section 188 subsection
11 of the 1999 Constitution as amend­ed”, Nzadon said.
Sources said the panel hurriedly closed shop at the weekened to
hasten the impeachment process in tandem with the wishes of powerful
stakeholders who want the governor ousted at all cost.
However, Governor Nyako, has restated his commitment towards an
enduring peace in the state. Nyako said he had forgiven all Abuja-based
politi­cians that were behind the impeachment saga, while seeking
prayers for those who had brought ethnic and religious tension to the
state.
Nyako, who hosted youths and women led by Hajiya Hauwa Abba at the
weekend to identify with him, for his empowerment programme, attributed
the impeachment imbroglio to those he described as unpatriotic
politicians that had hid themselves under the canopy of elders of the
state to cause disaffec­tion among the good people.
He restated his commitment to turn around the fortunes of the state,
adding that nothing would dis­courage him from delivering democracy
dividends and would remain faithful to the so­cial contract with the
people.
“I will con­tinue to keep faith with the social contract I have with
the people of Adamawa State and nothing will stop me from identifying
with the people. They are selfish politi­cians, who are out to incite
the masses against the government”, Nyako said.